Venetian blind



R. LABORDA VENETIAN BLIND June 3, 1941.

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ATTORNEYS Patented June 3, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF'ICE VENETIAN BLIND `Richard Laborda, Brooklyn,'N. Y., assigner to Lowe Paper Company, Ridgefield, N. J., a oorporation of New Jersey Application March 19, 1940, Serial No. 324,757

5 Claims.

This invention relates to Venetian blinds and more particularly to a novel form of construction for controlling the raising and lowering of the louvers thereof, for tilting the louvers and for retaining them in any desired position of adjustment. i

It has been the practice to mount Venetian blinds on specially constructed brackets which are usually provided with locking devices which cooperate with the blind to retain its louvers in a desired position of adjustment. In other `constructions the supporting brackets have been connected with a supporting member for eyes which guide the' lift cords which serve to raise and lower the blind. In all such constructions the blind is more or less permanently associated with its supporting brackets, and it is usually not possible to readily remove the entire blind, including the louver control cords, from its supporting brackets.

It is a purpose of the present invention to provide a Venetian. blind structure in which the above noted disadvantages are overcome and in which the control features of the'blind are so arranged that the blind may be supported on a vpair of brackets of the type usuallyemployed for supporting window shades, so that the installation or removal of a blind may be easily and quickly effected. Y

The lift, cords, which serve to raise and lower the louvers 4of Venetian blinds, usually pass through a guide secured to one end of the topmost member of the blind and within which they often become twisted together and jammed with the result thatV it is not possible to raise or lower the blind until the cords have been straightened out. Itis an object of this invention to provide a guide means for the lift cords which prevents them from twisting and becoming jammed, but retains them in proper parallel relation as they pass therethrough.

It is a further object of the invention to provide, in association with such'a guide means for g the lift cords, a holding pawl which serves to clamp them and thereby retain the louvers of the blind at any desired height.

Another object of the invention is to provide in association with the guide means for the lift cords a simple form of tilting device for tilting the blind louvers over their full range from a position in which they overlap eachother to a position in which they are parallel and permit the maximum passage of light and air through the blind.

In pursuance of the last-named object, it is a cognate object of the invention to control the tilting device by means of a single pull cord and to provide anovel form of combined guide and latching device for guiding the pull cord during its adjustment and for easily and quickly securing it in adjusted position.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the description thereof proceeds. For a better understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view, broken vertically and laterally, taken from the room side of a window, of a blind embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the blind shown in Fig. 1, a portion of the window casing also being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a view of the top portion of the blind of Fig. 2 withthe blind adjusted into open position;

Fig. 4 is a front sectional'view of a portion of the blind of Fig. 6, taken on the line 4-4 thereof, showing the guide and latching means for the pull cords;

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4 showing the latching means in locking position;

Fig. 6 is a top view of the blind of Fig. 4 but with the pull cords omitted;

Fig. '7 is a front view of a latch and guide for the pull cord of a blind embodying the invention, showing also a short section oi the pull cord; and

Fig. 8 is a side view of the latch and section of pull cord shown in Fig. 7.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the invention is shown as applied to a Venetian blind comprising a main revoluble supporting member or strip I carrying at its opposite ends the pivotal support pins 2 and 3 which are preferably positioned above and somewhat to the right of the center of the strip l, as shown in Fig. 1. The strip l is preferablyv made of a light material such as wood` and the pivotal support pins 2 and 3 may be secured therein in any preferred manner. 'Ihe pin 2 is shown as entering a circular aperture in the end of a bracket 4 while the pin 3 is supported in a bracket 5 provided with an open slot 6 for ready entrance of the pin therein,y the brackets 4 and 5 being of the type commonly employed for the mounting of window shades and being shown secured to the vertical sides of a window frame W. g

Pendent from the supporting strip I and secured thereto, as by the nails 1, are a pair of .ladder tapes 8, 9 each having a forward reach I and a rearward reach Il (Figs. 2 and 3) The tapes 8, 3 are composed of woven textile material and disposed between their reaches I0, II are blind, a pair of pull cords i8, it (Fig. l.) are provided, the cords having portions passing up wards through guide eyes it, it and it, It secured to the front reaches iii of the tapes. Just below the eyes it, it the ends of the lift cords are enlarged, as indicated at il. to, engage the eyes i5, i@ and thereby lift the blind. Above the guides it', it' the lift cords pass through another pair oi" guide members it, It' which may be secured to the supporting strip i bythe nails i, the guides id, it' being curved so as to direct the cords iii, iii toward the guiding and clamping device C, as shown in Fig. l. p

The device C comprises a bracket B, preferably made of thin sheet metal and having the spaced apart front and rear parallel plates iii, t@ connected together at one end byY a curved end por-v tion 2i, as shown in Fig. 6. The plates i9, E@ are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the lift cords it, ifi which pass between them freely, as shown in Figs. e and .5. To secure the bracket B in position with the rear plate 2@ in contact with the front face oi supporting strip i, as shown in Fig. 6, a pair of wood screws 22, d3 pass through openings provided in the plate i@ and into the stri-p i. The screw 23 is provided with av cylindrical portion 2d which is reduced to provide a shoulder for engagement with the rear plate i@ (Fig. 6), whereby the portion 2d serves as a pivotal support for a holding or clamping pawl 2t, which is adapted to move freely between the plates i9 and 2li. The lower end of the pawl 2t is formed to provide a plurality of teeth 21 adapted for rm gripping ensagement with the cord ifi, as shown in Fig. 5. A guide pin 2d (Fig. 6) is driven into the supporting strip I and is provided with a projecting ange 29 adapted to engage the front face oi the vstrip i, and a cylindrical end portion @il over which the cord itl passes and which serves to support the vertically depending portion of the cord in proper position with reference to the end of the pawl. The pull cord i3 passes over the screw 22 which is arranged to keep its vertically depending portion close to the curved end wall 2i of the bracket, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The lower end oi plate 2@ is upset to form an outwardly projecting tooth 3i, as shownin Figs. 4 to 6, and which serves as a backstop to limit the movement of pawl 26 toward the left and to retain its end in proper position for engagement with lift cord I 4. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the front plate I9 extends substantially higher than the rear plate 20 and thereby serves to conceal the plate 20 and also thexpawl 26 and guide pin 28.

The bracket B is also provided with a rearwardly extending ange 32 which engages the rightl end of the strip I, the upper end of flange 32 being bent at right-angles, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, to provide an overhanging flange 33 provided near its forward end with a circular aperture 34 and at its rear edge with a semi-circular notch 35, see Fig. 6. A substantially vertically and which includes the front wall 38, spaced side walls 39 and t0 which are bent outwardly to provide the spaced iianges di, t2 adapted to be clamped in position against the iront face of the window frame W. The latch is adapted to be secured in position by a pair of wood screws 43. it passing through the front wall 3d and disposed a suitable distance apart, as shown in Fig. '7,

so that the cord d depends vertically between them. The side wall t@ is cut away at its lower edge to provide a tapered notch it into which the cord St becomes seated-when it is looped about-the latch, as shown in Fig. 1, to retain the supporting strip i and the blind louvers i2 in a desired position of adjustment. The front wall Sii is extended upwardly to provide a guide nger it whose upper portion is rearwardly depressed to form a conical -tip ill which serves to direct the looped end of the cord 3d rearwardly against the vertical portion of the cord, while the cord is being looped about the latch. The lower end of cord @t is provided with a pull handle'oi suitable shape, as indicated a/t il@ in Fig. 1.

The blind will ordinarily assume the closed position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the louvers I2 overlapping each other, since the pivots 2 and are not disposed in the axis of supporting member i but above such axis. To open the blind, the handle 38 is pulled vertically downwards, the screws 5 and iii serving to properly guide the tilt cord 36 through the latch D. This action causes the supporting strip i to rotate in a clockwise direction about the pivotal supports 2 and t, thereby raising the front reaches i@ of the ladder tapes t, t and lowering their rear reaches I I, thus increasing the opening between successive louvers. This action may be continued until the louvers i2 are horizontal, as indicated in Fig. 3, at which position the maximum passage of light and air between them is realized. When in the desired position of adjustment, the lower end of tilt cord 35 is looped about the latch D in the manner above described into the position shown in Fig. l. The cord 36 in cooperation with the latch D will now hold the blind in the adjusted position, as desired.

To raise the blind from its fully lowered position, as shown in Fig. 1, the lower end 49 of the lift cords I3, I4 is pulled vertically downwards, thus raising the eyes I5, I6 and the lowermost group of louvers i2. Continuance of this action causes the raising of successively higher portions of the tapes 8, 9 and their attached louvers. To retain the blind at a desired height. the end 48 of the lift cords is moved to the left until the cords I3y I4 assume the position indicated in dot and dash lines in Fig; 4 when the cord I4 is in biting engagement with the end of pawl 26. Upon now allowing the end 49 of the cords to raise slightly, the weight of the raised portion of the blind causes the portions of the cords I3, i 4 opposite the pawl 26 to move upwardly and the pawl 26 to raise into its locking position, as shown in Fig. 5, with the pawl teeth 21 infirm engagement with cord I4 and with cord I3 pressed into ilrm frictional engagement with the curved end wall 2l of bracket B. The end 49 of the lift cords may now be released and the cords I3, Il will depend vertically with the blind locked in its velevated position. 4

To lower the blind, the end 49 of the lift cords I3, I4 is -pulled downwards al small amount to release the teeth 21 of pawl 26 from the cord Il, the pawl dropping into its lowered position invcontact with the backstop 3 I, as shown in Fig. 4. The end 48 of the cords is now permitted to rise vertically until the blind is fully lowered or until it is partially lowered, in which case it is locked in the partially lowered position in the manner above described.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiments of my invention. I do n-ot wish, however, to be conned to the embodiments shown, but what I desire to cover by Letters- Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim: l. In a Venetian blind including a tiltable top rail and a plurality of lift cords adapted to raise the louvers of the blind, a devi-ce for tilting and locking the louvers in an adjusted lposition, said device comprising a bracket having front and rear parallel plates spaced apart a distance only slightly greater than the 4diameter of the lift cords and an end wall connecting said front and rear plates,.the lift cords passing through said bracket and having depending portions extending in parallel relation alongside said end wall; a locking pawl mounted between said front and rear :plates and arranged to urge only one of the lift cords into frictionall engagement with said end wall and means for attaching the rear plate of said bracket to the front face of the tiltable top rail of the blind. i

2. A locking device as set forth in claim 1 in which said bracket attaching means comprises a screw which also Vserves to pivotally support the- ,locking pawl.

\-.3. A locking device as set forth in claim 1 in which said bracket attaching means comprises a l screw over which one of the lift cords passes and whichservesto guide a depending portion thereof alongside the end wall of the bracket.

4. A locking device as set forth in claim 1 in which the front plate of said bracket extends to a level substantially above the top of the rear plate thereof and a member is secured in the top rail of the blind`and has a portion projecting from the front surface .theerof at a level above the` rear plate. said projecting portion 'being arranged to guide a depending portion of one of the left cords alongside the locking pawl.

5. A locking deviceas set forth in claim 1 in which the bracket is provided withwan integrally formed, rearwardly extending plate adapted to engage the end of the top rail, said extending plate at its upper end being bent over to provide a projecting flange adapted to support a depending cord for tilting the blind. I l

RICHARD LABORDA. 

